Vegan Mofo: Breakfast Muffins

Chocolate Courgette Muffins (12)

Day Twenty-Nine:  What Would you Bring on a Vegan Road Trip?

I love travelling, in the sense of exploring new places.  I hate travelling in the sense of actually getting from A to B.  I wish I could just click my fingers and be in an exciting new destination without the stressful and sometimes nauseating business of using transport.  I’m terrified of flying. I get seasick and coachsick, and I’m an extremely anxious car passenger.  (My dad was a very cautious driver and used to think the speed limit was for people who were in some kind of emergency; Dr HH thinks it’s a guideline.  Also, due to living in Asia for years, I went a long time without travelling on a motorway.  I spend most of our time in the car saying:  “Should we slow down a bit?”  He loves it, obviously.)  Trains are probably the only mode of transport that I’m actually comfortable with, and even then there’s the delays to worry about.

The only way to make the ‘A to B’ part of travelling bearable, then, is to take food.  And if you’re travelling in the early hours, what better to take than a nice bit of breakfast cake?  Here are some of the tasty vegan breakfast muffins I’ve made.

Carrot and Maple Muffins (8)

Ms Cupcake’s carrot and maple muffins are lovely, especially with that sticky, sweet glaze on top.  (Let’s not pretend it’s a healthy breakfast, even with the carrots.)

Cherry Almond Muffins (12)

Bakewell muffins are always a winner, with the right balance of cherries and almonds.  I do find that a bit tricky to get right though.

Lemon and Poppyseed Muffins (12)

Probably still my favourte are the first vegan muffins I ever made – lemon poppyseed.  Light, zingy, delicious, everyone would enjoy these on a road trip.

Vegan Banana Muffins (13)

Banana muffins are a breakfast classic, though I probably prefer to eat this batter in loaf cake form.

Vegan Chocolate Muffins (12)

My first attempt at vegan chocolate muffins.  I remember how delighted I was that they worked!

Chocolate Courgette Muffins (16)

And my current preferred chocolate muffin recipe:  the Oh She Glows chocolate courgette muffins.  The courgette keeps the sponge nice and moist, and the flavour was great.

So for a vegan road trip, I think I’d take the lemon and poppyseed muffins, perhaps with a few chocolate courgette ones as well (for breakfast dessert, of course).  And commuting to work counts as a road trip, doesn’t it?!

Posted in Vegan Mofo, Vegan Recipes | Tagged , , | 5 Comments

Vegan Mofo: Radost FX (Take Two)

Radost Tacos 001

Day Twenty-Eight:  Tacos vs Burritos

You thought I was going to write about a breakfast burrito, didn’t you?  Well actually, I’ve never had one.  Imagine my delight on seeing tacos on a brunch menu here in Prague.  Everyone has heard of the breakfast burrito, but breakfast tacos were a new one for me.  New, and delicious!

I kicked off MoFo with a post about Radost FX, and it was too good not to return to.  This time we went back for a savoury Mexican breakfast.  It has to be said that service here is not the fastest, as it’s such a busy place, but at the same times the servers are really friendly and helpful and speak great English.

All savoury brunch items come with potatoes and bread, as you can see here.  The potatoes are gorgeous roasted chunks with so much flavour – they were actually my favourite part of the dish.  We weren’t sure what to do with the dry bread, so we dunked it in the guacamole, which was beautifully smooth and creamy.  And then the tacos, oh, the tacos!  It was just one crispy taco, which had gone a bit soggy in the middle, but was fine eaten with a knife and fork.  It was topped with good old refried beans, delicious smoky tofu flakes and a tasty, zingy salsa on top.  Delicious!

I’m not sure how breakfasty these tacos were, unlike breakfast burritos which seem to just roll up the normal full English.  But they were great for brunch, and I might even experiment with my own version at home!

Posted in Travel, Vegan Mofo | Tagged , , | 4 Comments

Vegan Mofo: Odd Bar, Manchester

20150315_124022

UPDATE: THIS RESTAURANT CLOSED IN 2018

Day Twenty-Seven:  Favourite Herb or Spice

My favourite spice is cinnamon, my favourite herb is basil, but I would have taken pretty much anything in this, the blandest tofu scramble of all time.

Odd Bar in Manchester used to boast three venues:  Odd, Odder and Oddest.  Unfortunately, Odder closed down last year, and I don’t think the names work quite as well without the comparative form in the middle.  Odder held a special place in my heart, as my fellow and I had our first date there (and he even had the vegan breakfast), but fortunately the menu is the same in all of them so I’m not missing out on anything.  It’s a very popular bar with a smallish food menu, but a couple of vegan options that are clearly marked.  It really is insanely popular, considering it’s in a highly competitive area surrounded by similar bars and eateries.  On a Sunday lunchtime we struggled to get a table and had a bit of a wait for our breakfasts.

Was it worth the wait?  Well…yes and no.  Let’s start with the toast:  it was dry.  No spread, nothing.  I’m pretty sure they wouldn’t serve dry toast with the vegetarian/meaty breakfast, and I think if they put vegan food on the menu it should be up to the same standard.  Then the tofu.  It must have been made by someone who has never eaten tofu in their life.  It was just scrambled tofu without a drop of seasoning – I don’t think there was even any salt and pepper, nevermind anything more adventurous.  I love tofu, but this makes me understand those people who say it’s bland.  I had to pretty heavy-handed with the salt and pepper pots to make this edible.

If there are beans on a breakfast plate, the roasted tomato is entirely superfluous in my opinion.  As Dr HH always says, a grilled tomato is just a pocket of napalm, burning your mouth and not really adding to the dish.  I’d lose the tomato and double the mushrooms, because that’s the good stuff.

The rest of the dish was much nicer:  the hash brown was very big and crispy, and the three bean patty was a surprising addition to a breakfast, again crispy and tasty.  The highlight was the sausage.  Look at the size of them, for one thing!  And they’re homemade, falafel sausages, so they stand out from the crowd of Linda Mac’s and so on:  they had all the flavour and specialness that was lacking from some of the other elements.

If I have this breakfast again, I’ll switch the tomato for extra mushrooms…and possibly take my own spread for the toast.  They were also out of soya milk as well, which seems a bit careless.  I love and support anywhere that goes to the trouble of marking vegan items on the menu, but come on – treat us as you treat the other customers!  Nip out to Tesco for some Pure spread and Alpro milk, and you’re back in business!

Speed of service:  it was busy in there, and we waited half an hour.  The problem is, of course, that you want your drink and your food at the same time:  this was one of those unfortunate occasions when it was a struggle to eke out the drink long enough for the food to arrive.  2/5

Value for money:  it was £6.95 for a generous portion, and the size of the sausages alone makes it worthwhile.  We were definitely full afterwards.  4/5

Quality of cooking:  points deducted for the dry toast and plain tofu.  2/5

Creativity:  the sausages were very special and the patty was a really nice touch as well.  4.5/5

Total:  12.5/20

Posted in Travel, Vegan Mofo | Tagged , , , | 5 Comments

Vegan Mofo: Fox Hall B&B, Lake District

Lake District Day Two 001

Day Twenty-Six:  It’s cold and rainy and there’s a snow drift outside your door! What are you going to make using the ingredients you have?

Cold, rainy and snowy weather is not much fun, but it’s infinitely better if you’re barricaded indoors, snug and safe, looking out at a wild, wintry landscape.  So, in this imaginary scenario, I would be staying at Fox Hall B&B in the Lake District, and I would let the good people there do the cooking for me.  I was there in summer, but I can just imagine how cosy it would be in the winter.

The breakfast spread was very impressive.  First of all, an exciting array of cereals.  Because I am at heart still a greedy child at the breakfast table, I went straight for the chocolate stars.  Yum!  But I may also have been sensible and had some fruit as well.

Lake District Day Two 003

It’s the breakfast menu where things really get exciting though, from a simple rack of toast to some more exciting options.  Unsurprisingly, I went straight for the lemon and sultana pancakes.  They were really zingy and light, and lovely with some golden syrup drizzled on.  There were 12 little pancakes in the serving, which even I thought were too many for 1 person.

Lake District Day Two 002

Dr HH tried the cooked breakfast, but I was never quite hungry enough, so it won’t take part in the rankings.  It was a good hearty plate, though heavy on the beans.  He was a big fan of the nut rissoles and found them an exciting addition to the breakfast table, though the tofu needed a bit more seasoning.

Lake District Day Three 001

The next day I had that same tofu and mushroom scramble on toast and, with a bit of extra salt and pepper, I thought it delicious.  Usually when I have a scramble, it’s very scrambled in its texture.  This was different as the tofu stayed firm, but it was really nice.

Lake District Day Three 003

Hopefully we’ll be back in Fox Hall next year, sampling some more of their breakfast options.  It was my first time in all-vegan accommodation, and I loved it.  It was nice to get my money’s worth at the breakfast buffet again!

Posted in Travel, Vegan Mofo | Tagged , , , | 4 Comments

Vegan Mofo: Teatime Collective, Manchester

20150219_123456

UPDATE: THIS RESTAURANT CLOSED IN 2018

Day Twenty-Five:  Share your Favourite Cuisine

So, British cuisine probably isn’t my favourite, but it’s got a pretty good breakfast in its favour (and it’s not nearly as bad as foreigners seem to think!).  Also, see how beautifully it ties into my MoFo theme?  Let’s look at another full English.

The big breakfast at Teatime Collective is everything you would expect:  hearty, a bit greasy, and very satisfying.  Teatime Collective itself is a wonderful little place.  I first went when it was fairly new and only had a bare minimum of indoor seating:  a wee table for two, and a counter with three stools.  Everyone else was left to dine at the picnic tables outside, which is remarkably pleasant on a bright, sunny day – but in Manchester such days are few and far between.  Happily, sometime last year they picked up a freight container than has been cosily converted into a little seating area and even on a cold February morning it was warm and pleasant in there.

20150219_114449

Situated in Hulme, Teatime Collective isn’t the kind of place I’ve ever been easily able to just pop into – it’s a bit out of the way.  And as it’s closed in evenings and on Sundays, I was always very limited as to when I could actually go.  On the rare occasions I did make the trip, though, it was certainly worth it, and it’s nice peace of mind to go somewhere that is 100% vegan (and staffed by some of the friendliest people imaginable).  It opens at 11am but only serves breakfast for one hour, so we were anxiously checking our watches as we made our way there.  Fortunately we made it with half an hour to spare and ordered our big breakfasts (there are a few other options, but my dining out breakfast policy is very much ‘go big or go home’, so we didn’t waste time pondering) and I got a hot chocolate, which always comes topped with cream.  Delicious!

Alas, even trying to eke it out, I could not make the hot chocolate last the thirty minutes it took for breakfast to arrive.  I don’t like giving waiters/chefs a hard time, least of all in a vegan place, but we were the first customers of the day, so it was a bit irksome.  When the breakfast plate finally arrived, though, our grumbles quickly disappeared.

20150219_120638

Look at that plate!  (Although actually, one final grumble:  there should never be a situation in which beans touch anything vegetably or scrambled.  I had to do some pretty rapid scraping.)  The grilled tomato is surplus to requirements, in my opinion:  a bit of spinach on there might have been nice, but all my tomato needs are covered by the beans.  But the mushrooms were tasty good, and always have a place on a breakfast plate for me.  The sausages were nice but nothing special, and the beans a bit too numerous for my tastes (I like dry food too much to be impressed by beans), but I know that’s just personal preference.  The black pudding and the hash browns looked to have been deep fried, they were so crispy – definite plus points.  Hiding under the hash browns was a tasty little potato cake, something I’d never tried before but would definitely have again.  As a lot of this was likely ready-made rather than homemade (hash browns, sausages, beans, black pudding, bread), the tofu scramble added a nice unique touch.  It had a surprising spiciness and was closer to scrambled egg in appearance and texture than any I’ve had.  I’m somewhat spoiled by the fact that my fellow makes the best tofu scramble ever (though as he dutifully says, he learned from the best), but I still enjoyed this a lot.

In conclusion, this is exactly what I expect from a big breakfast and I left with a heavy belly feeling very satisfied, and a bit disappointed I’d eaten too much to have room for some of the chocolate tiffin on the counter.  Personally I prefer a little more creativity and flair, but Teatime Collective tends to save that for their burgers and cakes and just let a straightforward breakfast speak for itself.

Speed of service:  pretty poor.  I know the staff are busy, but a thirty minute wait is pretty long and it messes up the whole timing of the hot drink+food combo.  2/5

Value for money:  only £6.50 for this gigantic plate?  Yes please!  5/5

Quality of cooking:  everything was toasty hot, no burnt toast, nice crispy hash browns and black pudding:  no complaints.  5/5

Creativity:  hearty, but unimaginative, and not that different to what we cook up ourselves when we’re having a full breakfast in bed.  2.5/5

Total:  14.5

Posted in Travel, Vegan Mofo | Tagged , , , | 6 Comments

Vegan Mofo: Vegan Afternoon Tea: Steel City Cakes, Sheffield

Steel City Cakes Afternoon Tea 002

UPDATE: THIS RESTAURANT CLOSED IN 2018

Day Twenty-Four:  What Mary Berry Would Eat If She Were Vegan

Today’s prompt is a fun one, and I’ve chosen British national treasure Mary Berry so I can take a break from breakfast and tie this in to my usual afternoon tea posts.  For any Vegan MoFo newcomers to the blog, every month I write about an all-vegan afternoon tea I’ve had.  I must not be derailed from my mission, and this prompt is perfect:  Mary Berry spends a lot of time trying cake, she delights in all things quaint and “scrummy” and in free-from week on the Great British Bake-Off she seemed game to try anything.  And I think she’d be pretty impressed by the sheer scale of this operation.

When I set my ‘one afternoon tea per month’ goal for this year, I wasn’t expecting quite so much variety.  But so far, it’s been full of surprises and delights, little twists on the theme.  And when I walked into Steel City Cakes in Sheffield for my afternoon tea, my mouth actually fell open in surprise at the sight that awaited me.  What a spread!

Steel City Cakes Afternoon Tea 001

At £25 for two, with free refills, I thought this was a real bargain, and a lovely special occasion.  The cafe is in a nice part of Sheffield that reminded me of Chorlton in Manchester, with its abundance of nice independent eateries and vintage shops.  There weren’t many customers on a Saturday afternoon, but there was a vegan hot dog and burger grill going on outside, and service was perfect:  friendly, but unobtrusive.  I sent them a message on Facebook to see if they could do a vegan afternoon tea, and they said they just needed a few days’ notice.

Steel City Cakes Afternoon Tea 003

There were a lot of sandwiches, with two different fillings:  cucumber and cream cheese, or salad.  These were accompanied by some delicious sausage rolls, reminiscent of sage and onion stuffing, wrapped in lovely flaky pastry.  We even got a hot dog from the grill thrown in as well!  However, with so much food before us, we decided not to fill up on bread and only had a couple of sandwiches along with the pastry and hot dog.  Let’s face it, the sandwiches were never intended to be the highlight of this feast.

Steel City Cakes Afternoon Tea 004

The sight of this scone plate made me giddy.  There are two big scones per person, one with raisins and the other with cherries, both topped in sugar which just makes them extra delicious.  And then there are four tiny, non-sugary scones each as well – two cherry, the others a combination of chocolate, raisin and hazelnut.  The scones weren’t very high (this is also my problem when making scones), but they were really good.  They were served with spread and jam, though we only managed to eat the cherry ones in the cafe – the others were all taken home as leftovers.

Steel City Cakes Afternoon Tea 005

And then the petit fours.  The lemon tarts were a wee bit burnt, but were really zingy.  The florentine-style tarts were full of sticky caramel and nuts – it was the first time I’d had anything like that, and I loved it.  The lattice-topped tart was blueberry, and was also really delicious.  The flapjack was really syrupy and firm, I loved it (flapjack is one of my greatest weaknesses), and the brownie looked like it might be a bit dry, but wasn’t.  The real highlight was the millionaire’s shortbread, just because it’s such a novelty.  I might grumble that the proportions weren’t quite ideal (too much biscuit, not enough caramel and chocolate), but good lord, it was good!  There was a nice hint of coconut to it as well, which was unexpected.

Steel City Cakes Afternoon Tea 006

And finally, the cake plate.  The big one was vanilla, with really sweet icing on top of a layer of jam.  The sponge was light and moist.  It was delicious!  I took the other ones home, as I couldn’t manage another bite in the cafe:  there was raspberry, cherry, coffee and walnut, and chocolate.  All of them were scrumptious!

All in all, it was a wonderful experience and I can’t recommend it enough.  I’d never expected to get so much food, nor to have four boxes of treats to take home with me!  It’s very rare that I am bested by a sweet dish, but this was one of the few occasions.  My mum and I both loved it, and Dr HH was delighted when I returned home with a stack of leftovers.  I think Mary Berry would be similarly happy if she could try this feast.

Posted in Afternoon tea, Travel, Vegan Mofo | Tagged , , , , | 7 Comments

Vegan Mofo: My Raw Cafe, Prague

My Raw Cafe 003

Day Twenty-Three:  Autumn Equinox Eats

I don’t even know what an autumn equinox is, nevermind what one should eat on such an occasion.  So, prompts be damned, I’m reviewing another full English breakfast!  This is truly one with a twist, though:  the Raw English Breakfast from My Raw Cafe, right in the heart of Prague.  After my last encounter with a raw breakfast, this was quite a gamble.  But it definitely worked out better this time around.

The dehydrated aubergine crisps in the front left corner look so inviting.  Alas, they were too soft and difficult to chew through – in no way as crisp as they looked.  The courgette and pumpkin rounds in the ramekin behind them were better and still had a great flavour, but also weren’t as crisp as I would have liked – is it possible to get raw food crispy?  Still, they were delicious with the spicy tomato dip in the middle, whereas the aubergine was inedible.

My Raw Cafe 002

In the middle was what we dubbed ‘the potato substitute’:  tasty, crunchy bites of Brazil nuts, tomato and herbs (and probably lots of other things we couldn’t identify).  And in the back right corner were the tiny little sausages, full of sun-dried tomatoes and flavour.  These were my favourite part of the dish, they were good and chewy.  And right at the front was the ‘scramble and toast’:  guacamole and seedy crackers!  There were olives in the avocado scramble, and it was really cool and creamy.  The crackers were crunchy and good.  All in all, besides the aubergine, it was a real hit and has restored my faith in raw breakfasts!

My Raw Cafe 001

The drinks menu was great – lots of smoothies and shakes.  I went for the vanilla hot chocolate, because, well, I must.  It was a small cup, but it was rich and sweet, and I loved it.  My Raw Cafe was a great find in Prague, with an excellent array of cakes and a tempting menu for the rest of the day too.  I’ll definitely be back for more!

Speed of Service:  It was fairly busy on a Sunday morning, but the food was ready in about 15 minutes and service was really friendly.  4/5

Value for Money:  It was 165kroner for the breakfast, which is pricey for Prague but pretty much normal for raw food.  3/5

Quality of Cooking:  The ‘crisps’ were a let down, but everything else tasted delicious and was well made.  4/5

Creativity:  Taking on a classic breakfast is a very bold move, and I think it paid off.  It was unlike any of the other breakfasts I’ve had, and a lot of thought went into it.  It has made me reconsider my stance on raw breakfasts, so it must have done something right!  5/5

Total: 16/20

Posted in Travel, Vegan Mofo | Tagged , , , | 4 Comments

Vegan Mofo: Moment, Prague (Part Three)

Moment (4)

NOTE: CLOSED DOWN IN 2023

Day Twenty-Two:  Make a Dish Using all Seasonal Produce

It’s time to play fast and loose with the daily prompts:  this isn’t all seasonal, but the staff at Moment changed the vegetables in the omelette based on what they had in, so I’m going to call that a seasonal choice rather than anything else.  Dr HH tried this omelette when we visited Prague in May, scoping it out as a place to live.  I did not have such a satisfactory breakfast, though I thought I had a foolproof plan:  cake for breakfast!  I was on holiday, I’d already ticked the pancakes off the menu and was unsure about trying the omelette myself, and the cake counter is phenomenal.  Why not have a little breakfast treat?

Moment (3)

Alas, “little” was the operative word.  This was my teeny tiny sliver of bundt cake.  It was nice, of course, but I ate it in about three mouthfuls and then sat mournfully watching Dr HH devour the omelette above.  “Order another piece of cake,” he encouraged me.  “Two pieces of cake for breakfast?  I’ll never be able to show my face here again!” I protested (let me point out here that it was about 10am and there were other people eating proper slices of cake as well, so eating cake was acceptable.  But more than one slice?).

Taking pity, Dr HH fed me a bit of omelette, and it was delicious.  “Order one for yourself then,” he urged.  “No, it’ll take too long and we’ll waste half our day here,” I refused.  “Then just get some more cake, you’re never going to see these people again,” he pointed out.  “But the staff will think I’m a pig.  And you’ll never let me forget it,” I lamented.  He denied that, but he reminisces about this incident at least once a week, rejoicing in my terrible breakfast choice, my folly in choosing cake (or the smallest cake in the world, anyway) over omelette.

In the end, we got two cookies to take away and I scoffed them as soon as we left while Dr HH laughed and clutched his happy, full belly.  I learned two valuable lessons on that day:  1) cake for breakfast may not be the winning idea it sounds like, and 2) vegan omelettes are pretty darned tasty!

Posted in Travel, Vegan Mofo | Tagged , , , | 5 Comments

Vegan Mofo: Moment, Prague (Part Two)

Prague Elbe Flat Hike 001

NOTE: CLOSED DOWN IN 2023

Day Twenty-One:  What three endless food supplies would you take if you were going to be stranded on an island? (Imagine your nutritional needs have been met, these are a bonus!) 

Every vegan probably hates any reference to desert island scenarios.  How many times now have I been hypothetically stranded somewhere with only a bloodthirsty cow for company?  But finally, here’s a scenario I can get on board with.  There’s fruit and veg aplenty, the free-range tofus are running wild and I have all the lentils a girl can dream of.  So, what would my three luxury foods be?

Waffles.  Cream.  Chocolate.  I might even let that snarling carnivorous cow so often found on desert islands have some too.  I had this dish in Moment in Prague as part of their weekend brunch (it has replaced the pancakes I talked about yesterday), and it was extremely hard-earned.  We arrived just after the 11am opening and knew what we wanted, so ordered immediately.  Our drinks came, and we sipped away, trying to eke them out until the food arrived.  It could not be done.  After 30 minutes, pondering whether Dr HH’s rudimentary Czech had somehow backfired on our ordering, the waitress cleared our mugs away and we checked on the progress.  There was a problem in the kitchen, but they were on their way.  Meanwhile, other customers received their burgers without delay, leaving us to speculate as to what the problem could be.

Prague Elbe Flat Hike 002

Twenty minutes later, at last, the waffles arrived.  They couldn’t have looked more inviting!  Alas, the waffles themselves were tepid.  Again, we speculated:  what was the problem that resulted in them taking fifty minutes to prepare, yet also being served cold?  Still, the cream was delicious and the chocolate was a nice touch, and the waffle itself was good – just not as good as if it had been warmer.  On my desert island, the waffles will be warm and the chocolate will be melted and drizzled on.  The cream will remain just like this:  cool and plentiful.  Delicious!

Posted in Travel, Vegan Mofo | Tagged , , , , | 4 Comments

Vegan Mofo: Moment, Prague (Part One)

Moment (1)

NOTE: CLOSED DOWN IN 2023

Day Twenty:  Veganise an Old Family Recipe

Pancakes weren’t a big part of my childhood.  We only really had them on Pancake Day, and even then only if my brother and I badgered our mum enough to persuade her into the kitchen.  Pancakes in those days were thin and crepe-like, served with lemon juice and sugar.  It wasn’t until I was in my twenties that I discovered thick, substantial pancakes, first of all when I was backpacking and banana pancakes were the ultimate breakfast in Asia, and then when I discovered Simon Rimmer’s recipe using cottage cheese to make nice American-style pancakes.  And finally last year I discovered the joys of vegan pancakes.

So this isn’t really a family recipe, but I’ve eaten pancakes throughout my life, and here they are as served to me in a cafe in Prague.  Ordering pancakes can be quite a gamble, as you never really know what to expect.  I certainly hadn’t expected to get four tiddly little pancakes on this plate, but they were so cute and tasty, and dotted with nice gooey chocolate chips.  There was a veritable mountain of cream on the plate, but also one of my five a day in the banana, so it was still comfortably healthy.  Ah, this was a good breakfast!  It’s no longer on the menu in Moment, which is a really nice vegan cafe just a few minutes from my flat in Prague.  But its replacement will be mentioned tomorrow, so stay tuned for more vegan Moments!

Posted in Travel, Vegan Mofo | Tagged , , , , | 4 Comments